


Paper Moons and Painted Stars

by Kei (adakie)



Series: Through Darkest Night [4]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A series of one shots, Alternate Universe - Baby Blasters, Fluff, Gen, Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-08-30 03:19:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8516446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adakie/pseuds/Kei
Summary: Various babyblasters oneshots set before, after, and in between Whispers in the Dark and To Last the Night





	1. The Way to a Heart (post-WitD)

**Author's Note:**

> I've been looking for the right time to start posting my fluffy/domestic/recovery/cuteness one shots here ... and I believe this is the time. Everyone needs some cute fluff right now. So I hope this makes someone's day a little bit better. 
> 
> These first stories were originally done for spacegate's Baby Blasters Fluff Week on tumblr. The wonderful space cat is an awesome person for so many things, creating this AU and inspiring others to do fluff week is just one small part of their amazingness.
> 
> prompt for this chapter -   
> 'Anonymous asked: Post-fic fluff? Idk what that's going to look like but here I go: Grillby tries to bond with Sans and Papyrus by teaching them how to cook.'  
> ((decided to combine this with a prompt from a friend on aim and use it as an intro to this post-fic timeline, yay~))

It was no secret that Grillby loved to cook.  It was a passion he’d devoted most of his life to, and years of hard work and practice had given him the skills he needed to turn that passion into a thriving business.  His bar had some of the best food in Snowdin, at least according to the regulars.  

So when two strange children had been placed in his care, sickly and hurting and unwilling to trust anyone except him, he had immediately turned to food as a way to win them over and get them back on their feet.  The children, now renamed Sans and Papyrus, would gratefully devour anything he gave them, but bit by bit he’d learned what they liked and disliked.  Papyrus wasn’t fond of anything too greasy, though he’d yet to completely turn up his nose at anything offered to him, and absolutely adored things like pasta and rice.  Sans had more of a sweet tooth, especially for subtly sweet things like ketchup, and disliked anything too bitter or sour.  Neither seemed willing to ask him for anything special, despite the fact that he’d told them time again that they could, but Grillby saw the sparkle of delight in their eyes when he went out of his way to make them something they truly enjoyed.  

After ‘the incident’, he’d had to make some significant changes to his daily routine.  He couldn’t just shut down the bar, it was not only his business but also a staple of Snowdin life for many of the town’s residents, but he was unwilling to leave the children on their own all day either, even if they would be right upstairs.  So he’d cut back on his afternoon hours, opening later in the day so that he could watch over the boys in the morning and afternoon and then go to work in the evening.  He still took more breaks than he used to, retreating upstairs to give them dinner, make sure they went to bed on time, and generally reassure himself that everything was alright, but his customers were understanding about the change in hours and for the most part everything seemed to be working out.  The afternoon had quickly become his favorite time of day, when he could be in his own little kitchen and cook lunch for himself and the children.  It was always so peaceful there, a little safe haven that was his and his alone … until recently.  

The first time he’d noticed them had been more than a little startling.  Grillby had just finished cooking and had turned to see bright spots of light piercing the shadows of the dimly lit room.  He’d jumped back with an undignified yelp, but it was only the boys in quadruped form watching him from underneath the table.  He’d knelt down to get a better look, hoping to encourage the children to come out, but both boys had scampered away before he could get out so much as a single word.  

He had let the incident go and thought that would be the end of it, but they next day saw them returning to the same place, glowing eyes watching him from the shadows as he worked.  The smell had drawn them, no doubt, but perhaps also the sound.  Grillby wasn’t a particularly noisy monster regardless of the situation, but the clatter of pots and pans did have a way of filling the apartment.  He wanted to prove to them that it was safe, that they could be there without having to hide, but knew he would have to ease them into the idea.  So Grillby started talking while he cooked, first to himself and then to the boys.  That seemed to relax them, at least a little, until he could at last kneel close to them without the two dashing from the room.  Less than a week after their strange ritual had begun, the children crept under the table only to find a cozy pillow nest waiting for them.  

One afternoon, Grillby was humming as he cooked.  Sans and Papyrus seemed to like it when he hummed, the sound helping to sooth their nerves and let them relax.  The boys were curled up together in their canine-like forms, watching him with obvious curiosity from their nest beneath the table, the soft glow of overhead lights casting the kinds of long shadows they still liked to hide in.  As the enticing scent of tomatoes and spices began to permeate the kitchen, Papyrus perked up.  He sniffed at the air, trilling happily.  The boy left their little nest, claws clicking against the floor as he crept out from under the table.  He arched his spine in a stretch before shifting easily into his other, two legged form and coming over to investigate.  

The child let out a curious chirp and, when that failed to get the response he wanted, followed it with actual words.  “What is?”

“Hmm?  Ooh, you want to see?”  Grillby set down the spoon he’d been using to stir and carefully lifted the pot from the stove, holding it down just enough for Papyrus to see inside.  “I’m making pasta sauce.  You remember that, right?”

“The not bad red stuff.”  The children had a bit of a hangup with the color red, understandably so, but after some reassurance they had both seemed to enjoy this the last time he’d made it.  The younger boy smiled brightly at him.  “It tastes good.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“We gonna have noodles?”  Papyrus wriggled slightly, his body going through the motions of wagging the long tail he did not currently possess.  

Grillby chuckled softly.  “Would you like to help me make them?”

“Ya!” the child exclaimed, his eye sockets sparking with light.  After a moment though, that eagerness was overtaken by familiar caution.  He looked back at Sans and made a soft whining sound.

The older boy had been watching with the same thinly veiled caution he always did.  Though his posture was relaxed, curled up in a comfortable ball on the pillow with his head propped up by one paw, Grillby had no doubt that he’d spring up ready to defend his little brother at a moment’s notice if he needed to.  Sans blinked up at them, his tail flicking nervously against the tiled floor, and barked so softly that it sounded like little more than a huff of air.  Though he was certainly capable of louder noises these days, he was showing himself to be more soft spoken by nature.  That was something Grillby understood quite well.  

They chittered back and forth a little, the way they always did, before Papyrus turned to him again with a beaming smile and nodded so enthusiastically he all but rattled.  “Mmhmm, wanna help!”  

Grillby pulled a chair over close to the counter and helped Papyrus up onto it.  He showed the boy what he was doing, told him the names of the various items and ingredients, and patiently answered each question that his excitable new assistant had.  Grillby handled the more dangerous work, dealing with knives and heat and anything even remotely heavy, and Papyrus was thrilled when he got to stir the pot of bubbling sauce.  Perhaps a bit too thrilled, as his vigorous efforts left a splatter of red on the stove, the counters, the boy himself, and even the wall.  It was worth it though, to see him smiling like that.  Once, the elemental even thought he heard Sans snickering from under the table.  

Despite the mess, they managed to get their meal ready without any major incidents and soon enough all three of them were seated at the table enjoying a nice fresh bowl of spaghetti.  Grillby kept glancing back at the kitchen as they ate, thinking through all that he would need to do to get everything back in order.  Wipe down the counters and walls, wash the dishes, talk Papyrus into taking a bath …

A familiar chirp, one which the elemental was learning to interpret as ‘please notice me’, drew his attention back to the sauce splattered child. Papyrus fidgeted, toying with the fork he was still learning to use properly. “Can … umm … “ He looked back for a moment at Sans, who gave him an encouraging little trill. “Can we help next time too?”

Grillby smiled at the boys, his flames glowing just a bit brighter. “I think that’s a great idea.”


	2. Movie Night (post-LTtN)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Return of the fluff. I'm going to try and upload something here every few days until all the old fluff week stuff had been posted. Yay?
> 
> Also I can't believe I forgot to link to spacegate's work here on Ao3. It's [KeetahSpacecat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/KeetahSpacecat/pseuds/KeetahSpacecat) and everyone should go read their wonderful stories~.
> 
> Prompt for this chapter -   
> Well, it’s not strictly from a prompt. It’s more of … my prompt. Just something adorable I really wanted to write. Yay? 
> 
> (Also this and many of the other early chapters, all of them that currently have real prompts behind them, were written before I even finished WitD. So if I screwed up anything, I really do apologize.)

It was a lazy Monday in Snowdin, and Grillby’s Bar was closed for the day. The bartender had been out and about running errands and picking up groceries for far longer than he would have liked. It never used to be a problem if the task took him longer than he’d thought it would, but now he had someone waiting for him. He would have loved to take Sans and Papyrus with him, but the boys weren’t quite up to social interactions with strangers just yet. He let them stay home alone so long as they promised to be good and not cause any trouble. He had even told them that, if the apartment was still mostly clean when he returned, he would bring them something special. The elemental had every intention of bringing them a treat regardless, but that was beside the point. Thankfully everything was calm and peaceful as he returned home, and he unlocked the apartment door to find the boys waiting for him in the living room. 

“Grillby!” Papyrus leapt off the couch, diving forward in a way that never failed to scare the elemental, transforming so fast that he was in his four legged form before he even hit the ground. He dashed over and ran little circles around his guardian, tail wagging as he let out happy little yips and chirps. 

“Hello Papyrus, I’m sorry I was gone so long.” Shifting the bags he carried, Grillby stopped to pat the enthusiastic child on the head before making his way over to the kitchen. “Hello Sans,” he called to the older boy.

“hi,” a soft voice answered in reply. Sans stayed where he was, curled up around a pillow on the couch beside a pad of paper and box of crayons that his little brother had been playing with. Grillby didn’t blame him for not getting up. He’d come a very long way, but the elemental doubted that Sans would ever have the same kind of energy that Papyrus did. 

The younger child trotted after him, chattering happily in a series of barks and yips and high pitched little trills. He stood on his back legs, bony little tail stuck out behind him for balance and front paws at the edge of the counter, watching as Grillby unpacked the groceries. Occasionally, the elemental would catch a glimpse of his snout poking at something as he sniffed at it curiously. He was nearly done when the boy nudged his arm and chirped to draw his attention. He stared up, faint spots of light gleaming in his eyes, and barked something that sounded curious and imploring. 

“Words, Papyrus,” he chided, the reminder gentle and familiar. Though Grillby could understand the basics behind the way they spoke, there were times when basics alone were not enough. Besides, the more the kids practiced speaking the common language of monsters, the better they got at it. 

The skeletal pup sat back, brow furrowed in confusion for a moment or two, then gave a little squeak of realization. He changed again, joints popping softly as his frame reconfigured itself until a sheepish looking little boy was sitting on his kitchen floor. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“That’s alright. Would you like to see what I found?”

“Yes!” His troubles gone in an instant, Papyrus jumped up excitedly. He stood on his toes, one hand braced on the counter, and pointed to one of the items the elemental had brought home. “What is?”

“What is it,” Grillby corrected the child as he set the last of the groceries down. He slid the clear plastic container in question closer so that Papyrus could inspect it. “This is popcorn. I thought we could have some tonight.”

He turned to put the shopping bags away only to find his path blocked. “Ooh, there you are Sans.” No many how many times the older of the two skeleton kids managed to sneak up on him, Grillby never quite got used to it. That boy could be nearly silent and deceptively fast, to the point that he sometimes forgot that other people might not know he was there. 

“Did you want to see too?” The elemental retrieved the jar and opened it, holding it down where both children could get a better look. 

“You eat it?” Papyrus asked, sniffing curiously but not finding any kind of smell that might indicate that the jar contained any actually food.

“Yes, but you have to cook it first.” Grillby carefully plucked a single piece from the jar and set it back on the counter. “It starts out in these little kernels, but once they’re heated up they pop and turn into something that’s good to eat. So if I just heat one up like this … “

He focused on the flames that made up his fingers, letting them grow hot and bright around the kernel until it burst with a little crack of noise. Unfortunately, that crack was a bit louder than he’d remembered popcorn popping to be. The kids yelped and darted away so fast that if it hadn’t been for the sound of claws scrambling against the kitchen floor he might have thought they’d simply vanished. A quick search found them huddled under the table in their canine-like forms, white hot light burning small and bright in their wide eye sockets. Sans growled softly as he approached, though neither moved an inch.

Grillby knelt nearby, patiently shushing the frightened children. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I should have warned you a bit better. But, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Papyrus made a grumbling little sound, caught somewhere between a growl and a whimper, and Sans clicked at him in irritation. Or rather, he clicked angrily at the thing Grillby held. The elemental carefully set the little piece of popcorn down, just close enough that the boys would be able to reach it, and backed away again. Papyrus inched backwards as if he thought the thing might jump at him and Sans hissed at it before swatting it away with his claws. As he watched the puffy little snack skid across the floor, Grillby got an idea. He made a quick trip to the counter, retrieving a small handful of popcorn kernels, and sat a good distance away from where the pups were huddled. 

“They may be loud, but I promise you that these are perfectly safe. Now, I’m going to make them pop. They won’t hurt you or me or anything, it’s just a bit of noise. Alright?” The boys inched further away from him, their tails lashing in the confines of their hiding spot, and watched intently. Grillby slowly pressed his hands together, trapping the kernels between his palms, and focused his heat onto them. It was a strange sensation, but keeping them contained also served to muffle the sound and soon his cupped hands were full of the fluffy treat. He scooted closer and set them down in a little pile near the table. “There, you see?”

Sans inched closer, Papyrus right behind him like a pale shadow. He sniffed and hissed at the pile of popcorn. The children looked up at him and grumbled, making low little whines of displeasure. 

Grillby chuckled, his flames crackling softly. “It really is safe, I promise. In fact, it’s very tasty.” He plucked one of the pieces from the pile and ate it himself, enjoying the mild flavor and the way it burned. 

Sans watched him carefully. He sniffed at the pile again, reaching out to tap at it with his claws, and finally retrieved a single piece with his teeth. With a deft flick of his head, he snapped the treat up like a bird. Papyrus trilled at him curiously, getting what sounded like a happy bark in reply, and soon both children were devouring the treat. 

“Do you like it?” Grillby asked as he watched them, though their frantically wagging tails was proof enough that they did. “I brought home a movie, and I thought it would be nice to have while we watch it. I can make more, if you want.”

A chorus of excited barking answered him before he’d even finished speaking. Thankfully, he had explained television to them quite some time ago, so the fire elemental managed to get the kids settled in the living room and start the tape he’d found without much of a hassle. With that much distance and the cheery sounds of music filling the apartment to distract them, he was able to make a large bowl of popcorn without too much of an incident. He joined them in the living room, relaxing on the couch while the kids chose to sit on the floor. They passed the popcorn back and forth for a while until he decided to simply set the bowl on the floor and let the boys share it.

Eventually, they crawled up and joined him on the couch, Papyrus practically dragging Sans up with him, and they settled down on either side of Grillby to watch. Sans changed to his quadruped form almost immediately, curling up in the way that made him most comfortable, and after a while, Papyrus did the same. Grillby let himself relax, the cheesy dialogue and overly chipper music of the movie blending together, until a different sound caught his attention.

It was deep and rumbling, but softer and more rhythmic than a growl. A purr. Cautiously, he let his hands settle on the children’s backs, feeling their bones vibrate with the deep, contented sound. When neither flinched or pulled away, he pet them gently, his lands trailing warm comfort along their spines. Sans looked up at him, eye sockets drooping, and purred a little louder. 

Both children were fast asleep before the movie even ended, yet Grillby stayed where he was long after the credits had rolled. There was no place he’d rather be.


	3. The Not-so-Great Box Caper (post-TLtN)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to put this one up a few days ago but real life distracted me and I just forgot. I'm sorry!! 
> 
> Prompt for this chapter -   
> A prompt from the ever amazing kitty4915 on tumblr: 'The kids being like cats in their blaster form with an “if I fits I sits” sort of mentality and getting stuck in like a vase or something.' Sort of combined this with another prompt from that friend of mine on aim. (And oooh man, I love this prompt. I even tried to draw it but that just wasn’t working out. Clearly I should stick to text.)

Kids could find amusement in the strangest places, puppies even more so, so really it shouldn’t have surprised Grillby when the most interesting thing in the box of goodies that they had been given proved to be the box itself.  It wasn’t that the boys weren’t grateful for the clothing and books that the guard dogs had found for them, or that they didn’t love playing with the donated tug ropes and balls.  Papyrus in particular loved the one eyed teddy bear that Greater Dog had found at the garbage dump and fixed up for them.  However, at the end of the day, it always came back to the box.

There wasn’t anything particularly special about it.  It was just an ordinary cardboard box, worn corners held together with sturdy tape.  However, it turned out to be just the right size for Sans, and that made it special.  He would drag it all over the house, setting up shop as it were in whatever room Papyrus or Grillby happened to be spending time in, and curl up in his makeshift bed for a nap.  Sometimes the younger boy would try to join him only to find that there was no room, as the box was just barely big enough to fit one of them at a time.  This hadn’t seemed like a big deal, but Grillby should have known that it would become one.  

The elemental was on a break from the bar, the dinner crowd having finally cleared out leaving only a few familiar late night customers sticking around to drink and chat with one another.  It was the perfect time for him to dash upstairs and check in with the kids.  He expected things to be like they normally were, with Papyrus running about playing and Sans either chasing after him or nestled somewhere cozy.  However, when he came up to the apartment he found not just one of the boys curled up snug in a box, but two.  Sort of.  

Papyrus had apparently retrieved a small storage box from the closet, removing and stacking each item in it carefully until there was a tidy pile of odds and ends near the door.  Then he’d dragged it into the living room where Sans liked to nap and … gotten stuck.  It came as no surprise to Grillby, or anyone else for that matter, since the little box was clearly too small for Papyrus, but the pup had stubbornly tried to fit in it regardless.  That had to have been what he was trying for, because the elemental could think of no other reason why the younger boy would be so awkwardly wedged into the container.  He whined when he heard Grillby approach, trying and failing to extract himself from the cardboard prison.  

“Papyrus, what are you doing?”  The small boy whined again, trying and failing to get his legs to work the way he wanted them to.  Grillby couldn’t help but laugh, which earned him a particularly pitiful whimper in response.  “Alright, calm down.  I’ll help you.”

This proved to be more difficult than he’d anticipated.  At first, the elemental had simply tried to lift Papyrus out of the box, but he was wedged in too tightly to slip free.  So instead, he picked up boy and box together and carried them over to the couch.  If he couldn’t be pulled free, Grillby explained to the child despite the loud complaints he got in reply, there was always another way.  He held the box out over the couch, letting the trapped pup look down and see soft cushions waiting below him.

“Are you ready?  One … two … three.”

Grillby overturned the box.  It should have worked, but instead of falling onto the plush cushions, the boy just hung there upside down.  This confused the fire monster, at least until he saw little bone claws poking out through the bottom of the box, hooking in and holding tight.  “Papyrus, just let go.”

The boy let out a pathetic cry, tightening his grip.

“You’re right over the couch, it won’t hurt.”

Papyrus whined, the sound turning warbly as Grillby gave the box a little shake in hopes of dislodging him.  As he stood there trying to figure out how to convince the child to let go, a small chime rang through the air with a cheery little ‘ping’.  Papyrus’s eyes went wide and his soul flared into view, glowing a deep blue.  He yelped loudly and finally lost his grip as powerful gravity magic pulled him free.  The boy landed in an awkward sprawl on the couch.  

Trying and mostly failing to suppress his laughter, Grillby attempted to give Sans a stern look.  “Sans, that wasn’t very nice.  You should have asked first.”

The older boy let out a dry hiss of a laugh, grinning up at him slyly.  He didn’t have to understand their language to know what he meant; 'it worked, didn’t it?’

Shaking himself to banish the feel of fading blue magic, Papyrus rolled off of the couch and sprang towards his sibling with an angry bark.  The brothers chased each other around the apartment, darting about like small, white blurs, and if the sounds that filtered down into the bar were any indication, they kept it up long after their guardian had to return to work.  

When Grillby checked in on them again after the bar closed for the night, Sans was napping in his box like normal with one small difference; Papyrus was happily curled up on his back.


	4. Snow Day (post-TLtN)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main story's updated again, yay! And I'm well on my way to another actual chapter of Ash and Bone too. YAY! But first ...
> 
> prompt for this chapter -  
> Anonymous asked: Possible prompt: Grillby wears glasses, and Sans and Papyrus love to mess with them either by making sure they’re not crooked or wiping off snowflakes from the lenses with their jacket sleeve so Grillby can see clearly.

It was a relatively warm winter day, and Grillby had taken the boys out to play in the woods outside Snowdin. The weather could be temperamental at times, often dumping blizzards on the unsuspecting citizens when the magical energy and moisture in the air combined with the cold from the mountain above in just the wrong way. Pleasant days like this, when the snow fell not in droves but in gentle flurries, were a rare treat that they simply could not miss. 

The boys were at home in the woods, and not just because they had hidden themselves there for so long. They felt safe there, far from prying eyes, and had the space to run like only they could. Sans and Papyrus would dart around the trees, throwing snowballs at each other in a mock war, before getting bored and shedding their boots and bulky coats in order to swap two legs for four and wrestle or race. 

Grillby preferred to stay clear of the action. He’d found a nice place to sit on a fallen log and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, broken only by excited yells and barks and once even a chorus of high pitched howls. Though the faint stinging of melting snow hitting his flames was annoying, it was more than worth it to see the kids having such a good time. As the scattered flurries began to turn into a real, proper snow, tiny flakes kept sticking to his glasses and melting from the elemental’s ambient heat. He would go to wipe the annoying spots blurring his vision away only for the water to sting at his fingertips. 

Eventually the faint sizzles and irritated hisses drew the children’s attention, and they came over to investigate just as he was removing his glasses to give them a proper cleaning. The boys yelped in fear, crouched low to the ground and shaking. The fire monster looked around, ready to fight off anyone or anything that would dare come after his kids, but there was nothing but the peaceful quiet of empty forest around them. “What’s the matter?” he asked, trying to keep his tone gentle and calming.

The boys whimpered to one another, reluctantly changing to forms that could talk more easily. Wide eye sockets stared up at him in fear. “Y-you took off your eyes!” Papyrus wailed in distress. 

After a moment or two of confusion, the pieces clicked into place and he understood what had made the pair so upset. “Ooh! No, these are just my glasses. They help me see.”

He removed his glasses again, going slowly as the children gasped in shock, and held them out for Sans and Papyrus to inspect. The kids carefully studied the item, passing his glasses back and forth between them and even holding them up to look through the clear lenses, until they were satisfied enough to hand them back. After a bit more reassurance, even kneeling down to let the kids see the white hot sparks of his eyes that the glasses normally hid, the children were certain that all was well and readily returned to their games. They ran and chased and wrestled happily. They even dragged Grillby over to throw sticks for them to catch, though it was mostly Papyrus doing the catching and complaining loudly when his brother used his magic to cheat, until Sans was exhausted and even Papyrus was starting to slow down. 

Grillby declared that they’d played enough for the day and received no arguments as he bundled both kids in their coats and boots for the trip back home. He carried Sans as they walked, holding the little skeleton easily with one arm, and Papyrus happily held his hand and walked beside him. Stray snowflakes still clung to his glasses, melting into water drops that slid down to sting at his cheeks, but he did his best to ignore them.

A soft glow of magic just in front of his eyes momentarily colored the world a pale blue. He blinked in surprise as his glasses were carefully plucked off of his face, drifting over to land in Sans’s waiting hands. The boy carefully wiped them clean, inspecting the glass for a moment to make sure that he hadn’t missed anything, and ooh so gently guided them back into place with his magic. 

“Thank you Sans,” Grillby said, his voice as soft as the falling snow around him, and the boy answered with a little hint of a purr. 

“Can we have hot chocolate?” Papyrus asked, happily swinging their clasped hands back and forth as they walked. 

“I suppose so. If you help me make it.”

The younger boy let out a happy yip, practically bouncing with excitement, and the little family of three hurried back home.


	5. Hope of Morning (post-TLtN)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been busy busy busy ... BUT, finally I remembered to post a new chapter of this! Y-yay? (sorry that took so long) There's one more that I haven't posted (that I wrote before this one) but I'm saving it for a little later in the month. ;3
> 
> Prompt for this chapter -   
> There’s no prompt for this one other than ‘hard times are here and we seriously need some comfort fluff right now’, but the title’s from @grumpyoldsnake. Thanks friend, you’re awesome.

On a quiet Snowdin night, long after most monsters had gone to bed, one man found himself unexpectedly awake.  Though in truth, it was not quite as unexpected as it should have been.  Grillby took a moment to just be still, waiting for the reflexive flare of his fire to calm.  Lingering unease plagued him, sparked to life by the rapidly fading memories of what must have been a nightmare.  He wished he could have been surprised.  Between the inexplicable, awful things he remembered and the ghosts of what he could not, bad dreams had become commonplace in his life.  He focused on the space around him, the familiar ceiling with its faint crack in the corner, the way his mattress dipped beneath him.  He was home.  The boys were safe and sound down the hall.  Everything was as it should be.

Then, from somewhere nearby, he heard a tiny whimper.  Apparently, it wasn’t just his own nightmare that had woken him.  He fumbled for his glasses, nearly dropping them as he tried to train his flames into proper fingers.  It was always a bit harder to keep his preferred shape when he was tired.  At last he was able to get a hold on the thin frames and slip them into place.  His blurry vision cleared and he found himself staring down at two sets of bright eye lights shining in the darkness of his room.  

“What are you two doing awake?” he asked, his tone gentle and soft just in case whatever fears that had driven the children to him still colored their perception.  

The pair whined in response, whimpering like puppies despite the fact that they didn’t currently resemble them.  Grillby had long since grown used to that.  What he wasn’t used to, however, was the boys showing up in his room in the middle of the night.  Or even during the day, now that he thought about it.  They rarely entered his room, preferring to stand in the doorway if they needed him or, something which happened far more often, try to deal with things themselves.  He thought that it had to be a good sign that they were willing to come to him now, even if that did mean he’d lose some sleep.

The boys tugged at the bed’s fitted sheet in a wordless plea for the attention they couldn’t quite bring themselves to ask for directly.  Even in the darkness, Grillby could see tear tracks on their faces, stains of magic coloring their wet cheekbones.  He reached down to brush a stray tear from beneath Papyrus’s eye socket and the little boy leaned into his touch.  

“Do you want to come up here with me?”

Papyrus nodded quickly, reaching his small hands up in a gesture that needed neither word nor sound to be understood.  Grillby smiled and picked him up, careful to go slowly and watch for any hints of discomfort.  Even though the pair were much better than before, he’d learned to be cautious.  He set the young skeleton down on his bed and then held out his hands in clear invitation to Sans as well.  The other boy hesitated for just a moment before reaching up to him the way his brother had, and soon the pair were curled up together on the soft mattress.  Papyrus claimed a corner of Grillby’s pillow for himself, breathing in the smoky scent that clung to the fabric.  He let out a little sigh and the tension slowly drained from him.  The elemental smiled down at him and pet his skull, letting his natural heat seep in and warm the child’s bones.  Papyrus shifted a bit and nuzzled his hand, letting out a soft, contented rumbling sound that Grillby couldn’t quite place.  

He considered sending them back to bed once they’d truly shaken their own nightmares, perhaps carrying them there and tucking them back into their blanket nest just to be sure.  Instead, he retrieved a folded quilt from his closet, a simple home made thing that had been a present from a friend long ago, and draped it over the children.  They wouldn’t need much in the way of added warmth with him close by, but he knew the weight and softness of it would help them feel safe.  “Better?” he asked.  

Papyrus nodded and turned the rumbling into a breathy little ‘aah’ of agreement.  With one child seen to, Grillby turned his attention to the other.  Sans was pressed against his brother’s back, one hand clutching his shirt.  Though he seemed content for the most part, the tension in his shoulders and anxious flicker of half lidded eye lights proved otherwise.  Grillby eased himself down onto the bed, making sure to leave plenty of pillow for Papyrus, and draped his arm over the pair.  The younger skeleton wriggled closer to him, eager to take in the warmth and comfort he offered, unintentionally dragging his brother closer as well.  Sans looked at him, bright eyes peering over his sibling’s shoulder, staring up with so many silent questions that Grillby could not even hope to guess them all.  And even if he could, he doubted he’d have the answers.  The elemental ran his hand over the little boy’s skull.  

“Everything’s okay,” he whispered, “we’re safe here, all three of us.”  Papyrus pressed his face against his chest and Grillby leaned his cheek against the top of the child’s head, idly nuzzling him the way he’d seen Dogaressa do.  “Nothing’s going to take you from me.  You’re okay.  It’s alright.”

'It was only a dream,’ he wanted to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to utter those words because he knew that they weren’t necessarily true.  Even his own nightmares were rooted in unbelievable truth as of late.  He couldn’t promise that nothing would ever harm the children in his care again, only that he would be there to help them if something did.  That if they were lost and frightened, he would do his best to find them.  That no matter what anyone said or did, he would always care.  

“I love you both.  So very much.”

Later that night, the peace that had settled over them was broken when a young skeleton woke with a faint gasp.  Sans had dreamed of some place dark and lonely.  Shapeless anger and consuming grief.  Empty streets lined with dusty snow.  But instead of haunting silence, he woke to the comforting sounds of soft, even breath and faintly crackling flame.  Something warm was wrapped securely around him.  His racing magic slowed, gradually tuning itself to the silent hum of his brother’s soul.  They were safe.  They were home.  

He watched the dance of fireglow play across the ceiling and let it lull him back into a peaceful sleep.


	6. All is Chaos, All is Bright (post-LTtN)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this part posted last night but was just so tired that I forgot I'm so sorry guys. Well, a late holiday present is better than none, right?
> 
> prompt for this chapter -   
> Anonymous asked: Possible fluff prompt: First (insert holiday/birthday/etc of your choice) for the family.  
> combined with -  
> Possible prompt: Sans and Papyrus’ first encounter with the annoying dog, and Grillby just enjoying the fun chaos that ensues.

“What’s goin’ on?” Papyrus asked as he walked hand in hand with Grillby down the streets of Snowdin. It was relatively late and the streets were, while not totally deserted, at least relatively empty. That was a very good thing as far as he and his brother were concerned, which is why their guardian had waited so late in the day to take them out. Grillby had something very special planned for them.

“It’s Gyftmas,” he explained, “a special day when monsters give presents to one another and good little children get gifts from Santa.”

The boy glanced up at him in confusion. “Presents?”

Sometimes, the elemental forgot just how much Sans and Papyrus didn’t know about the world. He would say a word, bring home an item, and inadvertently open up a whole new topic that neither child had ever so much as heard of before. There were times that the reality of their former lives hit him so hard he thought his soul might crack apart, but he did his best to focus on all the good things he could show them and the loving home he could provide. “Something special meant just for you. Do you remember when Dogamy and Dogaressa brought you your toys?”

“Ooh, ya!” Suddenly, the boy’s eager smile turned into a horrified frown. He whined to his brother, walking just a half pace behind them, and Sans whimpered back. 

“What’s wrong?” Grillby asked, stopping to kneel down and get a better look at the pair. 

The children exchanged little whines and chirps, holding a private conversation that their guardian could only guess at, before finally looking at him with guilt written all over their faces. “W-we didn’t get a present for you.”

“’m sorry,” Sans whispered, “we didn’t know.”

“There’s nothing you need to be sorry for. You two are my present. I couldn’t ask for better kids.” Grillby hugged the children to him, radiating warmth and comfort, and gently pet their skulls until their sad little whimpers were replaced with happy trills. “Now, someone told me that Santa left something very special for you two at the Gyftmas tree.”

“The shiny tree?!” Papyrus chirped. He’d been admiring the Gyftmas tree in the center of town ever since the lights had been turned on. Grillby had even caught him leaning out the window of the apartment to get a better look at the glowing lights reflecting off shimmering decorations. 

“That’s the one.”

The younger boy gasped happily. He grabbed Grillby’s hand and Sans’s as well, tugging them both along. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Papyrus led the way to the center of town before dashing ahead to admire the tree which twinkled cheerily in the dim, underground evening. Most of the gifts that had been piled around were gone, as the majority of Snowdin’s citizens celebrated earlier in the day, but there were still enough left to make a ring of brightly colored packages around the tree’s branches. Unfortunately, the package Grillby was looking for wasn’t there. He searched and searched, reading the tags tied to each present he came across, but none of them were the right one. 

“I know it’s here … “ But try as he might, he couldn’t find the gift he’d placed there in secret the day before. 

“maybe they lied,” Sans said idly, distracted by the red and yellow glow of blinking lights. He didn’t sound too distressed by the whole thing, but Papyrus certainly was. The crestfallen look in the younger boy’s eyes was too much for Grillby to take. 

“I’m certain that it’s here somewhere, we just have to … ooh!”

Branches shook, ornaments clinking together, as something moved underneath the tree. The boys darted behind their guardian, growling and hissing softly. Bit by bit, the mysterious creature came out into the light. It was a small white dog, curly tail wagging excitedly, clutching the ribbon of a certain brightly wrapped box in its teeth. The dog yipped around a mouthful of red ribbon. 

Papyrus leaned as close as he dared, tilting his head curiously as he look at both the dog and the box. “Is that it?”

“Yes,” Grillby said, relieved to finally find the missing present, “I think so. Thank you for finding that for us.” He stepped forward, one hand reaching out to take the box from the fluffy little dog, only to have the canine jump backwards. It yipped again, dark eyes narrowed in challenge. 

“Excuse me, but that’s not yours.” He tried again and again to retrieve the box, but each time he got close, the thieving dog would dart away. Papyrus growled and the dog growled back, the two of them arguing the way only canines could. The boy lunged forward, trying to catch the small dog by surprise, but it jumped back again and ran away. Not one to be outdone so easily, Papyrus sprinted after it. They were gone in a flash, leaving only a pair of discarded snow boots behind. 

“Papyrus, wait!” Grillby yelled as loudly as he could, but it was useless. “Ooh no. Sans, could you … Sans?”

He glanced down, but the older boy was no longer at his side. Just like with Papyrus, only his boots remained. Before Grillby could figure out how the boy had vanished like that without him noticing, he heard a familiar bark in the distance showing him the way. 

It didn’t take long for Grillby to follow the guiding barks, and soon enough he found himself at the edge of the forest. Sans was sitting there waiting for him, watching the show as his brother tried his best to catch the thief. The spritely little dog was fast, even faster than Papyrus, and kept taking quick, darting turns that confused the poor pup. It doubled back and looped around until its pursuer was dizzy, then barreled right for a large tree nearby only to sidestep it and keep going at the last moment. Unfortunately, Papyrus was too disoriented to manage the maneuver quite so well. The skeletal pup ran right into the tree, smacking against the thick trunk and falling back in a heap in the snow. 

The dog yipped happily in a way that almost sounded like it was laughing. It dashed off again only to skid to a halt, its path suddenly blocked by a second skeleton pup that Grillby could have sworn was sitting near him a moment ago. Sans braced himself on his front paws and let out a loud, clicking hiss, his lower jaw flared open. The dog stared with wide eyes, its mouth dropping open and the present falling into the snow, before turning and bolting away with its tail tucked between its legs. 

With a toothy little grin, Sans retrieved the present and trotted over to where his brother was sitting in the snow. Papyrus was shaking his head and pawing at his skull, more than a bit disoriented by the mad chase, but when he heard his sibling bark he perked up in an instant. Sans set the gift down and nudged it over to Papyrus, tail wagging happily. 

The younger pup stared down at the box, marveling at the somewhat damaged wrapping paper and the little white tag which read; ‘To Sans and Papyrus, From Santa. Happy First Gyftmas.’ White light shone brightly in his eye sockets, his tail wagging so fast it was nothing but a blur. He pounced on his brother, flattening Sans on his back in the snow, nuzzling and trilling happily. 

Grillby hated to break up their fun, but it was getting late and he wanted to make sure they were back home and out of their wet winter coats before it got too cold. He called to them and Papyrus trotted over, head held high, proudly carrying the somewhat battered present. Sans trailed behind him, watching his brother with a warm glow in his eyes and an easy canine smile. Grillby patted them both on the head and they purred and trilled happily all the way back home.


End file.
